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About This Breed

The phrase “Chocolate Delights” is often used by
Havana Brown enthusiasts to describe this charming
chocolate brown cat with the mesmerizing green eyes. They
are alert, intelligent, affectionate and occasionally exhibit a
mischievious personality. A breed for the true cat connoisseur,
many say that once you have been “owned” by a Havana
Brown, no other breed will do.

Sharing your home with a Havana Brown is both a privilege
and a pleasure. Human companionship and interaction is a
necessity for this breed. They get along well with other cats,
dogs and children. Individual personalities vary, of course.
Some may be somewhat reserved; however, most are outgoing,
playful and talkative in a charming, coquettish way. Not only
will these delightful brown characters insist on being a part of
every activity in the household, they also insist on having the
very last word on everything.

The breed is considered moderately active when compared to
some of the other shorthair breeds. They love nothing more
than a sprint around the house or a game of tag if there are
other cats to join in. Second to playing, their next favorite
pastime is napping. Their choice of a sleeping partner may
very well be their favorite human companion.

Being naturally inquisitive, the Havana Brown reaches out
with a paw to touch and feel when investigating curiosities
in its environment. They are truly sensitive by nature and
frequently gently touch their human companions as if they
are extending a paw of friendship.

While a minimum of grooming and maintenance is required
for this shorthaired breed, it is important that a regular
grooming and bathing routine be established at an early age.
Most Havana Browns love attention and will happily submit
to a full body rub down with a soft rubber brush. Front
and back claws should be clipped and the insides of the ears
gently cleaned. Finish with a quick buffing using your hands,
a soft chamois cloth or silk scarf. They experience a minimal
amount of hair loss or shedding, so bathing on a regular basis
is not necessary if the cat is not being shown.

The ideal Havana Brown is best described as a cat of medium
size and structure, firm and muscular, exhibiting a sense
of power yet also elegance and gracefulness. The two most
distinctive features of the breed are its color and head shape.
Its distinctive muzzle shape, coat color, large forward-tilted
ears and striking green eyes set it apart from other breeds.

The color of the Havana is a rich, warm, even brown – tending
toward red-brown rather than black-brown. The coat is short
to medium in length, smooth, lustrous and close lying. The feel
of the coat has been likened to that of a luxorious mink coat.

Picking up a Havana for the first time can be a surprising
experience, as this lithe-looking cat actually weighs more
than it appears. Males are proportionally larger than females.
Overall balance and proportion are stressed more than size.

The head is slightly longer than it is wide, narrowing to a
rounded muzzle with a definite break on either side of very
prominent whisker pads. When viewed in profile, there is a
distinct stop at the eyes. The one-of-a-kind muzzle is often
compared to a light bulb or a corncob stuck on the end of
the face.

The striking oval green eyes of the Havana are unforgettable.
Any even shade of green is acceptable; the greener, the better.

Ears are large, round-tipped, wide-set and pricked slightly
forward, giving the cat an alert appearance. There is little hair
inside or outside of the ears, with an obvious sparseness of
hair in front of the ears. Nose leather is brown with a rosy
tone; paw pads are rosy-toned. Whiskers must be brown to
complement the coat color. Sparse hair on the chin at the
lower lip is a unique feature of this breed.

This lovely brown cat originated in England as the result of
planned breedings between Siamese and domestic black cats
by a number of devoted English cat fanciers whose general
goal was to produce a self-brown cat. The breed was first
imported to North America in the 1950s. These early imports
became part of the foundation stock for the Havana Brown of
today. In England, the Havana follows the type of the Siamese,
while in North America, breeders have maintained the look
of the early imports. In an effort to increase the shrinking
gene pool, breeders received approval in 1998/1999 to permit
outcrossing to unregistered black or blue domestic shorthairs,
certain colors of Oriental Shorthairs, or chocolate point or
seal point Siamese. For more information, please contact the Breed Council Secretary for this breed.